EP 1 997 689 A1 discloses a bumper cross member, in which an elongated shaped part is obtained by press-molding fiber-reinforced plastic material. Although the fiber reinforcement is important for the mechanical load capacity of the support part, long fibers, which cannot freely move during the press molding, obstruct movement of the plastic matrix in which they are imbedded and uniform filling-out of the press mold. Short fibers can move during the press molding together with the matrix in which they are embedded but do not increase the load capacity of the finished shaped part as efficiently as long fibers, which can continuously extend over a large part of the extent of the shaped part.
Furthermore, EP 1 997 689 A1 fails to disclose the manner in which the bumper cross member is connected to the support structure of a body. Conventionally, such connection includes crash boxes, which are joined in between the cross member and the tips of side members of the body, in order to yield in the case of a collision, thereby protecting the side members from deformation. The connection between bumper cross member and crash boxes has to be over a reasonably large area in order to be able to introduce the forces that occur during a collision from the bumper cross member into the crash boxes, without forces which are narrowly concentrated locally at the connection between bumper and crash box leading to the destruction of the one or other beforehand. The crash boxes and connecting flanges used if appropriate for connecting crash boxes and bumper cross member substantially contribute to the weight of the entire bumper structure, so that even by the use of the plastic cross member described in EP 1 997 689 A1, weight savings can be achieved only to a limited extent.